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Saudi Arabia rich with undiscovered archeological sites

“Our discoveries confirm that Farasan Island was inhabited by humans since prehistoric times,” says archaeologist
10,000 sites have only been discovered in recent years
RIYADH: Archaeological digs in Saudi Arabia, according to Dr. Abdullah
Al-Zahrani, General Director of Archaeological research Studies at the
Saudi commission for Tourism and National Heritage, are increasing at an
unprecedented rate.

“We discover new sites every day in Saudi,” he said, adding that there
are over 100,000 sites of archaeological interest in the country. “Today
we have more than 44 Saudi and international missions working in the
Kingdom. Of those, 21 are from Germany, France, Italy, the US, the UK,
Japan and China.”

It is a strange scenario, especially given that 10,000 of those sites
have only been discovered in recent years. “The largest number of
missions are from France,” Al-Zahrani added. “They are very interested
in the history of the Arabian Peninsula.”

The Saudi-French archaeological mission in Jazan region, led by Dr.
Soline Marion de Bros, an archaeologist from the French National Center
for Scientific Research, is one of the most prominent – and successful –
teams working in the Kingdom today. Working to uncover the past of the
Arabian Peninsula, it has been carrying out archaeological excavations
on Farasan Island since 2017.

So far, the team has revealed 30 sites dating back to pre-Islamic
periods, including a number of settlements, animal remains including
deer, cows, horses and turtles, and various finds including ancient
Arabic inscriptions, and sites dating back to the Roman Empire.

“Our discoveries confirm that Farasan Island was inhabited by humans
since prehistoric times,” said de Bros. “Since then, Farasan Island has
been known for its cultural and commercial activities in the southern
regions of the Red Sea, and in the northern part of the Great Farasan.”

The future of archaeology on Farasan Island is exciting. The next steps,
according to de Bros, are to map the entirety of the island’s sites,
creating a guide to its historical timeline and development. More local
archaeologists, from academics to diggers, are also set for specialized
training, to help uncover and preserve some of the Kingdom’s most
precious new sites.

For Al-Zahrani, the progress is hardly surprising.

“Most of these missions have unanswered questions about our history and
they know that the answers can be found here,” he said. “At the
beginning of the 19th century, the Arabian Peninsula was a mystery to
Orientalists, but they didn’t want to venture into the desert sands.
However, in the late 19th century they came and got to know the lands
and the people.

“Many sites were registered at that time, especially in the 1970’s, when
a comprehensive archaeological survey was done. The results of that
time provided a vast list of archeological sites,” he added.